Every hour until the clock strikes midnight (Eastern time) and we usher in 2014, Diva Dirt will highlight – in no particular order – the women who made an impact in 2013.
The cast of Total Divas
Brie and Nikki Bella, Natalya, Naomi, Cameron, Eva Marie and JoJo cemented their status on this list the minute Total Divas debuted on E! The ground-breaking reality show that focused on the personal trials and tribulations of each of these women gave fans and non-wrestling fans a look behind the curtains of World Wrestling Entertainment. Nothing like this had ever taken place in wrestling before thanks to business wanting to keep the lines between what’s real and what’s fake a mystery. So when these seven women, along with their boyfriends and families, agreed to take part in something so personal, you just kind of knew something special was about to happen.
As the youngest member of the cast, JoJo got off to a rocky start and was rarely seen in the second-half of the season. Perhaps she found out the hard way that reality television just wasn’t for her, but that didn’t stop her for appearing at NXT this past year and on Monday Night Raw. Some of her highlights include singing the National Anthem at SummerSlam and eliminating Tamina Snuka in an Elimination Tag Team match. We can’t really be sure what the future holds for JoJo, but we can thank her for the memories she provided us with during the first half of the show. Who will ever forget that break-up with Sebastien?!
Eva Marie came into our lives with one thing on her mind; be the Diva that everyone ends up talking about. And you know what? Mission accomplished. Love her, or hate her, Miss All Red Everything is a force of nature to be reckoned with. Her antics and personality, coupled with her desire to be in the spotlight as much as possible have certainly rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and gotten her in a lot of trouble. But through all that negativity and all the hate that gets thrown at her, Eva Marie has risen up and kept her head held high, doing her thing and working to get better. 2014 could end up being a huge year for Eva Marie, and on a personal note, I’m curious to see if her family ever warms up to Johnathan!
Total Divas also launched Cameron into the spotlight and a shined a positive light on her and the progression she has made a performer and a person. As the first person cut from Tough Enough, Cameron wasn’t really given much a shot to last in wrestling, but here she is as the last person from that show standing. Not only did Total Divas give us a chance to see her personality, but it gave her a platform to launch several catchphrases (“girl, bye”, “chingle, chingle”, ect.) and meet her better half, Vinnie. The show also gave us a chance to see just how close she is to her Funkadactyl teammate, Naomi.
All of us have had such high hopes for Naomi since NXT, and when she failed to win the show, her fans raged. Stuck down in FCW/NXT for the longest time, people started to wonder if she would ever get the call-up. Eventually, she did, but not in a role that people enjoyed. But regardless of that, Naomi was on television and the best for her is still to come. At times her matches can be sloppy, but this year Naomi proved that she is dynamic inside the ring. Every match she participated in gave her some type of moment that seemed special. On Total Divas, her relationship with Jimmy Uso was often the focus and their playfulness and pet names for each other won them a lot of fans. Also, we discovered that when it comes to rocking a maxi dress, Naomi has almost no competition.
The only person who can hold a candle to Naomi in the maxi dress department is Nikki Bella, who showed us all the layers of her personality this year. Her up-and-down relationship with John Cena made us laugh and cry, delighted us and angered us. Backstage, Nikki had to watch her sister Brie get the push of a lifetime, with title shot after title while she herself sat out with an injury. We watched her mature during the show and make a triumphant return to the ring with a more explosive personality that further set her apart from Brie, and it was an amazing thing to see.
Speaking of Brie, it was a banner year for her. Very rarely does personal and professional success come together as one, but in 2013 it definitely did for Brie. We got to watch her love with Daniel Bryan play out on Total Divas and we got to see her improve each and every week inside the ring. Brie showed a side of herself that none of us thought she was capable, cementing the fact that time off sometimes does a person a favor. Brie came back stronger, determined, and better and had an incredible match with Natalya back at SummerSlam that showcased just how far she has come.
Natalya. Often overlooked, pushed to the side, and a mere afterthought in the hearts and minds of fans and her peers, but thanks to Total Divas, she’s no longer an afterthought. Natalya is a woman that a lot of people can relate too, and someone who has a wardrobe that every girl has got to envy. This year we got to share her joy when she finally walked down the aisle with the love of her life Tyson Kidd, and her undeniable grief when Gismo got sick. I think out of all the girls on the show, Total Divas benefited Nattie the most. We were reminded at just how good she is and what her legacy could be. Her book is still be written as we speak and I think I speak for all of us when I say that there better be plenty of chapters left.
Come back at the top of every hour to see who else has been crowned one of 2013’s “Women of the Year”.
